The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou is a comprehensive cultural venue built to commemorate Tang Xianzu, one of the world’s hundred great cultural figures and a master of Ming‑dynasty drama in China. It is also one of Jiangxi Province’s ten major memorial halls dedicated to historical luminaries.

Zou Zizhen: On Xu Wei’s Influence and Inspiration on Tang Xianzu — Commemorating the 500th Anniversary of Xu Wei’s Birth

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2022-12-06

Xu Wei ( 1521-1593 ), courtesy name Wenchang, art names Tianchishanren and Qingteng Daoshi, was a native of Shanyin (present-day Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province). He… 20 After the age of forty, he repeatedly took the provincial examinations but never passed, remaining a mere student throughout his life. He was once invited to serve as chief secretary in the staff of Hu Zongxian, the governor-general of Zhejiang and Fujian, where he devised ingenious strategies to resist the Japanese pirates and earned distinguished military merit. Later, when Hu fell into disgrace, was imprisoned, and died, Xu Wei too suffered political persecution and at one point lost his mental balance. Subsequently, he was jailed for the accidental murder of his second wife, but thanks to the efforts of his friends, he escaped the death penalty. In his later years, he eked out a living by selling calligraphy and paintings, ending his days in poverty. Xu Wei was bold and unrestrained, disdainful of conventional propriety, and held the view that “one should not be bound by Confucianism.” [ 1 ] , and Li Zhi ( 1527-1602 ) Both were pioneers of democratic thought during the mid-to-late Ming period. In literature, he emphasized originality and opposed the retrogressive imitation of past styles; thus, Yuan Hongdao ( 1560-1600 He was a pioneer of the Gong’an School, a progressive literary movement represented by figures such as [name]. Xu Wei was diligent and eager to learn, possessing a wide range of talents; he achieved considerable success in calligraphy, painting, poetry, prose, and drama. He himself declared, “My calligraphy ranks first, poetry second, prose third, and painting fourth,” and his surviving poems… 2100 Multiple poems, prose 800 Although he authored numerous plays, he did not seem to place much value on his own dramatic works; in fact, he was the most celebrated zaju playwright of the Ming dynasty, and his magnum opus, “The Four-Phoneme Monkeys,” stands as the crowning achievement of Ming‑era zaju.

Tang Xianzu ( 1550-1616 ), courtesy name Yisheng, art names Ruoshi and Qingyuan Daoren, was a native of Linchuan (present-day Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province). He… 13 In his youth, he studied under Luo Rufang, a leading figure of the Wang School’s left wing. 1515-1588 ), the fourth year of the Longqing era ( 1570 ) A juren, in the eleventh year of the Wanli era ( 1583 ) A jinshi. He was appointed as a doctoral scholar at the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing and later served as a chief clerk in the Department of Sacrificial Rites. After submitting a memorial impeaching Grand Secretary Shen Shixing, he was demoted to the post of magistrate of Xuweng County in Guangdong, and subsequently transferred to become the county magistrate of Suichang in Zhejiang. Dissatisfied with official life, he resigned in the twenty-sixth year of the Wanli reign ( 1598 ) He resigned from office and returned to his hometown. During the last eighteen years of his life, despite extremely difficult circumstances, he remained full of energy, persisting in the creation of poetry, prose, and dramatic works. Tang Xianzu was a close friend of the renowned monk Daguan Zhenke ( 1544-1604 ) He maintained close friendships and, in his later years, developed a strong inclination toward the otherworldly philosophies of Buddhism and Daoism. In his literary and artistic thought, he stood in line with Xu Wei, Li Zhi, and Yuan Hongdao, vigorously opposing the retrogressive doctrines of the “Seven Masters of the Early Ming” and advocating the expression of one’s inner spirit. Throughout his life, he wrote… 2200 Several poems, 600 Among his many prose and poetic collections are “Hongquan Yicao,” “Wenji Youcao,” and “Yumingtang Ji,” among others. In the realm of chuanqi drama, he composed five works: “Zixiao Ji,” “Zichai Ji,” “Peony Pavilion,” “Nanke Ji,” and “Handan Ji.” The latter four are collectively known as the “Four Dreams of Linchuan” or the “Four Dreams of Yumingtang.” Notably, “Peony Pavilion” stands as the pinnacle of Ming‑dynasty dramatic creation.

Tang Xianzu and Xu Wei share many similarities, even identical points, in their philosophical outlooks, literary theories, and ideals of personal character. Both were deeply influenced by the left wing of Wang Yangming’s school of thought and, to varying degrees, by Buddhist and Daoist ideas, while both revered the primacy of human nature and individual spirit. Moreover, both advocated writing drama with genuine emotion. Xu Wei put forward… “The poetry of the ancients is rooted in emotion.” [ 2 ] , strongly advocate “From the moment one is born, one is driven by emotion”; “The more faithfully one captures emotion, the more readily it moves the heart, and the longer its legacy endures.” [ 3 ] ; Tang Xianzu advocated “Driven by love, toiling in the arts and drama” [ 4 ] ， “Love arises without knowing whence, yet it grows deep and unwavering; the living may die, and the dead may live again.” [ 5 ] ， “Not genuine, not sufficient to act.” [ 6 ] How remarkably similar are the arguments of these two!

Contemporaries of Xu and Tang, as well as their later followers, likewise placed the two on an equal footing. In his preface to the Collected Works of Xu Wenchang, Yu Chunxi wrote: “Although Wang Shizhen and Li Panlong swept the literary world with their might,” “There are two men whom I cannot encompass: the tall and imposing Xu Wenchang, and the sharp-witted Tang Ruoshi.” [ 7 ] Qian Qianyi’s “Poetry Collection of the Dynasties” •In the “Brief Biography of Yuan Hongdao” it is recorded: “During the mid‑Wanli period, the doctrines of Wang and Li were in vogue; everywhere one looked, all was yellow reeds and white rushes. Yet Wen Chang and Yi Ren stood out as distinctly different, while the deep‑seated malady continued to spread, remaining unrooted and untamed.” [ 8 ] Yuan Hongdao’s poem “Joyful Encounter with Mei Jibao” reads: “Xu Wei was a man of extraordinary talent, yet his station was low and his way unappreciated. Of late, Tang Xianzu has produced passages both incisive and exquisite.” As Wang Jide remarks in “Qu Lv: Miscellaneous Discussions—Part II”: “Among the southern dramatists, two stand out: first, my teacher, Master Xu Tianchi of Shanyin, whose works are grand and rich, transcending the mundane… and second, Tang Ruoshi of Linchuan, whose style is graceful and bewitching, with words that strike to the very marrow.” [ 9 ]

Two

Xu Wei was twenty-nine years old when he met Tang Xianzu; the two had never met in person, yet they shared a common stance against… The retroism of the “Seven Masters of the Early and Late Ming” resonated in harmony and sought kindred spirits, making it a celebrated chapter in the history of Ming‑dynasty literature.

The third year of the Wanli era ( 1575 ), 26 At the age of [age], Tang Xianzu’s first poetry collection, “Hongquan Yicao,” was engraved and published with the patronage of Li Dajin, the magistrate of Linchuan, and it included his… 12 Year reaches 25 Poetry of the year, approximately 80 First. Three years later, Tang Xianzu again published the ten-volume “Wenji Youcao” (another poetry collection, “Yongzao,” has since been lost), which included his… 28 Year reaches 30

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